Elastic paper



April 27 1926. 1,582,842

I W. A. LORENZ I ELASTIC PAPER 3 Sheets-Sheet Filed August 1-1, 1924 April 27 1926. 1,582,842

Invenzfor M ywgw A ril 27,1926. 1,582,842

' v W. A. LORENZ ELASTIC PAPER Filed August 11, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Apr. 27, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM A, LORENZ, OF WEST HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE OTAKA FABRIC COMPANY, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTI- CUT.

Application filed August 11, 1924. Serial No. 731,437.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. LORENZ, a citizen of the United States, and resident of \Vest Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Elastic Paper, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to paper which is elastic in all directions.

The aim of the invention is to provide paper which is made stretchable in all directions by providing the same with corrugations, waves or flutings which cross each other, and crinkles extending parallel to some of the corrugations and transversely to others. A. paper of this sort is very highly elastic, is of a pleasing design, and is characterized by its strength and the absence of ruptures or breaks.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved method of and apparatus for cheaply, expeditiously and effectively manufacturing paper of this sort. In accord ance with the present invention, the process of making the paperelastie may be carried off at a relatively high speed, the crinkling and corrugating is carried out with regularity and uniformity, and the danger of rupture or breakage is entirely avoided or, at least, minimized.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out more in detail hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of-parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein I have shown, for illustrative purposes, one embodiment which the present invention may take- Figure 1 is a top plan view of the machine;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view thereof, taken substantially on line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on line 33 of Fig. 4 through the corrugating and crinkling cylinders;

Fig. 4 is a horizointal sectional view of portions of the cylinders, being taken substantially on line 44 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a View similar .to Fig. 3, but taken substantially on line 5-5 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 6 is a View similar to Fig. 4, but taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a detail View showing in end elevation a portion of one of the corrugating rolls and the device for scraping off the corrugated paper from this .roll in the event that it should inadvertently attempt to wind thereon;

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Figs. 3 and 5, but shows, additionally, the devices for scraping the paper, after it has been corrugated and crinkled, from the cooperating cylinders;

Fig. 9 is a view showing a piece of paper gathered longitudinally and laterally in accordance with the present invention; and

Fig. 9 is a bottom view of a part of the scraper blade associated with the upper corrugating roller.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the frame of the machine may be of any suitable shape or form, but is here shown as having two side frames or uprights 10 and 11 arising from a base 12 and tied together in any approved manner. In carrying out the present invention, either dried, finished paper or a wet web of pulp as it is delivered from a web forming machine may be operated upon. If it is desired to operate upon a Wet web of pulp, the apparatus herein described ma be used in combination with a paper making machine. In the present illustrative disclosure, I have shown, by way of exemplification only, the paper as being supplied from a spool 13 carried by a shaft 14 suitably 'journalled in the side uprights of the frame of the machine. This paper may be led about a guide roller 15 located in a tank of water 16 for the purpose ofwetting the paper, it being understood, however, that if the sheet operated upon is in the form of a wet Web delivered from a web forming machine, such'moistening means is not necessary, and where finished paper is operated upon, any suitable wetting means may be employed. The paper, after it is wetted, is led onto a cylinder 17 having its periphery circumferentially corrugated so .as to provide circumferential grooves or furrows 17 between which are ridges or ribs 17". The paper may be forced into the grooves of the corrugating cylinder by a pressure roll 18, preferably faced with rubber or other resilient material and having its periphery corrugated in a manner S1111- ilar to the main cylinder so that the circumferential ribs on the pressure roll will run in the grooves 17 of the cylinder. Th1s roll also serves to press excess moisture from the paper or pulp web. If desired, there may also be provided a second or upper corrugating roll 19 having circumferential grooves similar to the grooves of the corrugating cylinder 17 and meshing with the ribs 17 thereof. This roll 19 may be journalled in pivoted arms 20 which are urged, as,.for instance, under the influence of springs 21, in a direction to press the roll 19 against the corrugating cylinder. It will be seen that, as the paper, indicated by the letter P, passes between the corrugating cylinder on one side of the rolls 18 and 1.9, the paper is caused to assume the contour of the surface of the corrugating cylinder, that is to say, the paper is longitudinally corrugated and, therefore, it is transversely waved.

The paper is then passed between the corrugating cylinder 17 and a second cylinder 22, the latter being so formed and so cooperating with the main corrugating cylinder that the paper which has been longitudinally corrugated on this latter cylinder is now transversely corrugated and transversely crinkled, the transversely extending corrugations and crinkles being'unbroken and following the wavy transverse contour of the paper. The cylinder 22 is supported on a shaft 23 which is preferably journalled in bearings or boxes 24 urged by springs 25 in the direction of the corrugating cylinder 17. Movement of the cylinder 22 towards the cylinder 17 may be limited in any suitable manner, as by means of stop screws 26. In the present illustrative disclosure, the cylinder 22 is circumferentially corrugated corresponding to the cylinder 17, thus providing circumferential grooves-22' matching with the ribs 17" of the corrugating cylinder, and circumferential ribs 22" matching with the grooves 17 of the corrugating cylinder. At spaced intervals about the periphery of the cylinder 22 are ribs or ridges 22" which extend across the circumferential grooves 22 and ribs 22", These ribs or ridges 22 follow or conform to the transverse wavy contour of the cylinder 22, that is to say, the ribs 22 extend over, and form projections on, the circumferential ribs 22", and extend across and form projections on the circumferential grooves 22 so that the ribs are wavy or undulating in the direction of their lengths. Also, these ribs 22" give to the circumferential ribs and grooves a circumferentially wavy contour. Thus, the crinkling and corrugating cylinder 22 has a peripheral surface which is provided with wavy corrugations extending both circumferentially and transversely. The ribs conform'to the transverse undulations of the cylinder 17 but just clear this cylinder.

The surface speed of the corrugat-ing cylinder 17 is greater than that of the cross corrugating and crinkling cylinder 22 and, preferably, the arrangement will be such that the ratio of speeds may be varied at will. These cylinders may be connected together in any suitable manner, but, in'the present instance, I have shown for this purpose gears 28 and 29 respectively fixed on the shaft 23 and the shaft 30, on the latter of which is fixed the cylinder 17 The gear 29 is of less diameter than the gear 28. Then it is desired to vary the ratio of the speeds between the cylinders, the gears 28 and 29, or either of them, may be substituted by other gears of suitable dimensions. These gears may be driven in any suitable manner as, for example, by a driving pulley 31 and a pinion 32 meshing with the gear 28.

The operation of the machine so far de" scribed is briefly as follows: The paper, having been longitudinally corrugated between the sylinder 17 and the rolls 18 and 19, ad heres to the cylinder 17 and is carried down by that cylinder into the throat 34 formed by the cooperating cylinders 17 and 22. The paper will be pinched or gripped, to a certain extent, between the tops of the successive transversely extending ribs 22" and the cylinder 17 and, since these ribs are grooved or waved transversely oftheir length so that they conform to the transverse contour of the cylinder 17, the line of grip or squeeze will be substantially continuous throughout the width of the paper or the width of. the corrugated portions of the cylinders, as the case may be. As the paper is advanced by the cylinder 17 at a speed faster than the movement of the ribs, the ribs will retard the paper, resulting in its being crushed or crinkled transversely. Those portions of the paper which are engaged between the cylinder 17 and the ribs 2 will also be crinkled, but these erinkles will be finer or less pronounced than the erinkles formed between the ribs. The crinkles thus formed will extend from one edge of the paper to the other and will follow the transverse contour of the paper. Since the paper, during the crinkling operation. will be held at spaced intervals by the ribs 22 against the erinkling cylinder, and the paper immediately behind a rib which is doing the crinkling will be forced away from the erinkling cyl-' inder and be crinkled in the space between the adjacent ribs 22", the paper will-be transversely corrugated as well as transversely crinkled. These transversely extending corrugations will conform to the transverse contour of the longitudinallyextending corrugations and, therefore, the transversely extending corrugations will. be waved V in the direction of their lengths. The paper, after passing between the cylinders, drops onto a travelling belt 35.

In the drawings, the paper is indicated by the letter P. In Fig. 9, wherein I have shown the finished paper, 36 designates the longitudinally extending corrugations; 37, the transversely extending corrugations; 38, the rather pronounced crinkles between the transverse corrugations, and 39, the relatively fine crinkles interposed on the transverse corrugations. Owing to the fact that the paper is longitudinally corrugated, and both corrugated and crinkled transversely, it will be highly elastic in all directions and may have a large variety of uses as, for example, it may be employed as wrapping paper, for bag linings, and the like. By proceeding in accordance with the present invention, this elastic paper may be corrugated and crinkled, as described, with rapidity, so that it may be manufactured with economy, and there is no danger of rupturing or tearing the same; the corrugations and crinkles may be made with uniformity and regularity, and the extent of stretchability may be regulated by merely changing the ratio of speeds between the cylinders 17 and 22. If a fine crinkle is desired, the cylinders will be rotated at a slight differential speed, and if a paper with coarse crinkles is desired, the difi'erence in the speed of rotation of the two cylinders will be increased.

In accordance with the present invention, I provide an improved means for scraping or stripping the corrugated or corrugated and crinkled paper, as the case may be, from the several corrugated cylinders or rollers. This improved means is in the form of a blade or plate having a serrated edge meshing with the roller or cylinder with which it is associated, the blade having grooves on that surface opposed to the advancing paper.

as will now be described. In the drawings, I have shown my improved scrapers asso ciated with the roller 19 and the cylinders 17 and 22. Referring to the scraper employed. in connection with the roller 19, 42 is a blade having an edge serrated, thus providing teeth 43 which extend into the circumferential grooves of the roller. The bottom face of the blade is deeply grooved, as at 44, thus providing ribs 45. These ribs are in substantial alinement with the grooves of the roller. Thus, the blade, as viewed from underneath, is provided with parallel ribs, the forward ends of which extend into the grooves of the roller and, between these ribs and in substantial alinement with the circumferential ribs of the roller, are the roller. The stripped off paper will then pass,

somewhat in a bunch, between the cylinders 17 and 22, this being permissible as the springs 25 permit the cylinder 22 to move away from the other one. I have found that, by serrating and grooving the stripper, as described, the paper will not catch between the roller and the scraper. The scraper 42 is preferably mounted for angular adjustment about the roller and, to thisend, it may be carried by arms 46 journalled on hubs in which the roller 19 is mounted. Also, by preference, the scraper is angularly adjustable about its serrated edge and, for this purpose, the opposite ends of the blade are provided with studs 47 which are angularly adjustable in the outer ends of the arms 46.

The numeral 50 designates the scraper associated with the cylinder 22, and the numeral 51 designates the scraper associated with the cylinder 17. Thesescrapers 50- and 51 are similar in construction to the scraper 42 and may be mounted in a similar manner.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall. be interpreted as illustrative and not in alimiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the language used in the following claims is intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

I claim as my invention:

1. The herein described method of forming paper elastic in all directions, which consists in corrugating a web or sheet in one direction, and corrugating and crinkling the sheet at an angle to the first corrugations.

2. The herein described method of forming paper elastic in all directions, which consists in corrugating the sheet longitudinally, and simultaneously corrugating and crinkling the sheet transversely.

3. The herein described method of forming paper elastic in all directions, which consists in forming alternate grooves and ribs in the web or sheet in one direction, and then waving the sheet in the direction of the length of the ribs and crinkling the sheet transversely of the ribs and grooves with the crinkles conforming generally to the contour of the paper.

4. The herein described method of forming paper elastic in all directions, which consists in advancing the corrugated web or sheet in the direction of the length of the corrugations, and retarding the sheet to transversely corrugate and crinkle thesame throughout its width.

5. The herein described method of forming paper elastic in all directions, which consists in passing a corrugated web of paper between a pair of cooperating circumferentially corrugated cylinders, one of which is provided with transversely extending ribs adapted to retard movement of the paper.

6. An apparatus for forming the herein described elastic paper comprising means for corrugating the paper in one direction, and means for corrugating and crinkling the paper in another direction.

7. An apparatus for forming the herein described elastic paper comprising a pair of circumferentially grooved cylinders in meshmg relation, one of said cylinders having its corrugations wavy in the direction of their lengths.

8. An apparatus for forming the herein described elastic paper comprising a circumferenti ally corrugated cylinder, a second circumferentially corrugated cylinder meshing with the first one and having transversely extending ribs on its periphery conforming generally to the transverse curvature of the corrugations thereof, and means for rotating said cylinders, said ribbed cylinder being rotated at a lesser speed than the'other one.

9. An apparatus for forming the herein described elastic paper comprising a cylinder having alternate circumferential grooves and ribs, a second cylinder having alternate cir cumferential ribs and grooves with the ribs of the second cylinder alined with the grooves of the first one, the ribs and grooves of the second cylinder being-wavy in the direction of their lengths and throughout the width of the cylinder, and the crests of the p waves meshing with said first cylinder but out of contact therewith, the spaces between the crests of said waves providing clearance for the paper as it is crinkled.

10. The herein described method of forming paper elastic in all directions, which consists in corrugating the sheet longitudinally, forming ribs transversely to, and conforming to, the transverse curvature of the longitudinal corrugations, and transversely crinkling the sheet, the crinkles between the ribs being coarser than those on said ribs.

11. An apparatus for forming paper elastic in all directions, comprising a corrugated member for advancing a corrugated Web or sheet in the direction of the length of the corrugations, and spacing means conforming to the transverse curvature of, and adapted to engage, the corrugated Web as it is advanced by said member, said means with the first one and having spaced about its periphery transversely extending ribs conforming to the transverse contour of said cylinders, and means for rotating said second cylinder at a slower surface speed than the first one. i

13. An apparatus for forming paper elastic in all directions, comprising a-pair of circumferential corrugated cylinders in meshing relation, one of said cylinders having its corrugations wavy in the direction of their lengths, and means for resiliently urging one of said cylinders towards the other one.

14. An'apparatus for forming the herein described elastic paper comprising a circulnferentially corrugated cylinder, a second circumferentially corrugated cylinder meshing with the first one and having transversely extending ribs on its periphery conforming generally to the transverse curvature of the corrugations thereof, means for rotating said cylinders, said ribbed cylinder being rotated at a lesser speed than the other one, and means for scraping the paper from said cylinders.

15. The herein described elastic paper having wavy corrugations, and crinkles extending across the corrugations.

16. The herein described elastic paper having longitudinally extending corrugations wavy in the direction of their lengths, and transversely extending crinkles conforming to the transverse curvature of the aper'.

17. The herein described elastic paper having corrugations crossing each other, and crinkles transversely of one set of said corrugations and extending longitudinally of, and conforming to, the waviness of the corrugations of the other set.

18. The herein described elastic paper having a series of alternate ridges and grooves running in one direction, and a second series of ridges and grooves extending in another direction, the ridges and grooves of each series following the transverse contour of the other series, and crinkles extending longitudinally of the ridges and grooves of one series and transversely of the ridges and grooves of the other series, the crinkles on the ridges being finer than those in the grooves.

WILLIAM A. LORENZ. 

